Surprise! “Scary Movie” returned in style and with its sixth film it is positioning itself strongly at the box office. The well-known most irreverent parody of horror cinema on its first day of release managed to gross $24.7 million in 3,490 theaters in the United States, as cited by Variety.

According to industry projections, the film will reach $56 million by the end of the weekend, a figure that would surpass the current franchise record held by “Scary Movie 4,” which debuted with $49.7 million in 2006.

All this with a tight budget of $30 million, which guarantees a resounding success for Paramount and Miramax.

Return of the creative team

The return of the original creative team has been key. Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. lead the cast, while Craig Wayans and Keenen Ivory Wayans co-wrote the script with Rick Alvarez.

The iconic Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks are once again played by Anna Faris and Regina Hall, respectively. Rounding out the cast are Kenan Thompson, Dave Sheridan, Carmen Electra, Kim Wayans and Cheri Oteri, among others.

Under the direction of Michael Tiddes, the film parodies recent titles such as “Scream”, “Get Out”, “M3GAN” or “Long Legs”, maintaining the acid and absurd humor that characterizes the saga.

Meanwhile, other premieres of the weekend did not have the same luck. Amazon MGM's "Masters of the Universe" came in second with $11.7 million on Friday, according to Box Office Mojo, and is aiming for $30 million, a modest figure against its $200 million budget.

A24's “Backrooms” fell 69% in its second week, but its low investment ($10 million) already makes it one of the most profitable films of the year.

With a historic weekend, “Scary Movie 6” shows that the Wayans formula is still valid: laughing at horror never went out of style.